Sacrilege, I know, but one way to keep track of which hole your mouth is over is to make a small notch in holes 4 and 7 (the holes which play the note of the harmonica’s key). In fact, I have filed the outer edges of each these holes so they are a little rough, which would ruin the lips of an expert player, but I am no expert.
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Hi James! Your image isn’t loading, but I’ve initially considered doing something similar (some sort of adhesive tape or making various dents or whatever)
Why Didn’t I do it? I actually sat for a while trying to come up with an answer: I think, it all boils down to the fact that to get good at any tune, you still need that muscle memory. Then again, maybe this is just rationalization - why AREN’T harp manufacturers making small bumps here and there (maybe once per octave)? Surely, this is too obvious a thing to not have been tried - would it adversely affect the lips over prolonged periods somehow?
I mean sure, I’m “proud” to be able to now gauge the millimeter distance from hole to hole, but some sort of guide bumps would make it easier to jump across many holes, which would be useful especially for classical music.
I agree that we should just know where hole 4 is (for example). But I find that, in sessions, where I have trouble keeping up, it helps to have some confirmation of where hole 4/7 is; especially because I often cannot hear myself surrounded by other (louder) instruments. I recently discovered I can hear myself if I cup my right hand so the sound is reflected to my ear (similar to how singers cup their hand over one ear to hear themselves).
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Excellent. Even I would find it hard to get lost with so many landmarks around.
Practice is the only way I found to be consistent. I am also a believer in playing you favored haps. The distance can very on several different harps.
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+1 on PRACTICE. The key is playing often. Eventually, it doesn’t even matter what harp you play on. You can quickly adjust to it.
I have tried but a couple of my harps are so much like a match box that I am getting the key in a crossover, which I prefer. I have tried to like my Oskar but it never gets picked up. Its all about fun and confidence in what you use.